


Sleepless Nights and Shared Sunrises

by pretzelduck



Category: All Elite Wrestling, Professional Wrestling
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pining, Romance, Set in a Nebulous post-Double or Nothing timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25120717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzelduck/pseuds/pretzelduck
Summary: Wide awake at 2 am, Kenny watches Adam sleep and wonders how to bridge the gap between them.
Relationships: Kenny Omega/Adam Page
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	Sleepless Nights and Shared Sunrises

**Author's Note:**

> So I've never written anything quite like this but the idea refused to leave me alone. I hope you enjoy!

Victory was the sweetest thing.

Or, at least, it usually was.

But there was something off about this one. Getting to sleep after winning a match was rarely difficult. Kenny knew he'd had enough time for the adrenaline to wear off since their match had been the first of the night so that couldn't be the problem. Maybe it was the fact that this wasn't his hotel room but given the strange sleeping arrangements he had dealt with over the years, Kenny doubted that was the culprit either.

Seriously, though. They'd won. He and Adam had won the match - retained their tag titles - in a good, solid bout. He should have been asleep hours ago. A glance at the not-even-all-that-bright clock only reminded him that he was still awake at 2 am which was entirely unnecessary. It felt like 2 am, in an odd sort of way. He had counted and catalogued all of the shapes he could see in the dim room enough times for it to be that late. The vaguely cylinder shaped blurs on the table shaped shadow were Adam's two empty beer bottles from earlier. There was the hint of a light beam illuminating his gear bag on the floor. Nothing at all unusual.

The number of sleeping positions Kenny had tried definitely made it feel like 2 am. All of them had been pointless, though. His mind was still wide awake while his body begged for sleep. Even the desperate attempt to sleep with his head at the foot of the bed had only resulted in him throwing his pillow back at the headboard and worrying the loud thud would wake his soundly sleeping tag team partner. Which left him where he was now: laying on his side atop mostly comfortable hotel sheets, watching Adam Page sleep.

It wasn't the first time they had shared a hotel room or the first time Kenny had seen Adam asleep. There was something different about this moment, though. Maybe it was that 2 am thing again, making stuff look just a little different. It had been awhile but Kenny was almost completely certain that he'd never seen Adam sleep the way he was sleeping now. Curled up into the tightest of balls, as if he was trying to take up as little space on the bed as he possibly could. It looked miserable and wrong. Like sadness and loneliness had followed Adam into sleep.

Things were better, weren't they?

But now all Kenny could see was the moment back at Daily's Place when Broken Matt had somehow convinced him to let him borrow his room key. Before he could even figure out what happened, Adam had strolled up next to him and offered him the extra bed in his hotel room with a shrug and a nonchalant tip of his head. Accepting had been automatic - as reflexive as breathing - but there had been something in Adam's expression before it vanished in a look of unaffected boredom and comments about needing to stop for beer. It was the way his eyes had widened and that little barely audible gasp. Adam hadn't expected him to say yes.

And that didn't make any sense.

They weren't just tag team partners; they were friends. Of course, Kenny would choose to go with him. It was so very obvious to him but the idea that it was the exact opposite of that to Adam made one of his hands clench into a fist. Things were supposed to be better. They were partners and champions and friends. Adam wasn't still supposed to feel like he was alone out on an island. But that look on his face expected rejection and dismissal. Even after they'd gotten to Adam’s room, he had twitched every time Kenny's phone made a sound. His assumption had been the match had been tougher than Adam had admitted to and he was dealing with a headache or something. But instead had he just been sitting there, listening for the next incoming text message and waiting for Kenny to go to someone else? Get a better offer and take off?

Was that it?

It was infuriating and plausible and made him a little sick to his stomach. Kenny could feel his fingernails digging into his palm. Why couldn't Adam see? The only thing that made sense right now was Adam. Every time he started to regret where his career was right now, the fact that he was partners with Adam made him stop and smile. He liked being Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page.

Shit, had he ever told Adam that?

It's not that it was easy. At times, it had been anything but. The rifts and wounds between all of them were painful but that didn’t mean they all weren't a family. At least, that was how Kenny saw it. No matter what happened, they would always be brothers. But at the same time, he knew that Adam didn't necessarily see it that way. Sometimes, he wondered what they all looked like through Adam's eyes. Did he see his brothers or his friends? Did he just see people that he felt he would always be looking up at? That he would always be the weak link?

Kenny ran his hand through his hair as he kept looking at his sleeping partner. The light from the window was angled just right so he could see how deeply into his chest Adam's chin was tucked. How tightly he was holding his arms against himself. And even though Kenny couldn't see his face, he had no doubt that there was a pinched grimace on it. There was no way Adam was sleeping peacefully. What was he seeing in his dreams? Did he wish that he was anywhere but here? Did he wish that he was still gone?

That single thought was sharp and painful. Dynamite was better with the Hangman. To Kenny, that was obvious. But it was equally obvious to him that he liked things better now that Adam was back. Which was different but in a good way. They had known each other for years but this dynamic between them was something new. It was push-and-pull with an undercurrent of pleasant tension. They were even drinking buddies of a sort - whiskey and milk - and those moments had frighteningly quickly become his new favorite thing. Sprawled together on whatever unoccupied bit of furniture they could find. Shoulders bumping, thighs touching, fingers brushing. And that true and genuine smile that would always slowly form on Adam's face, even if it took Kenny a few jokes or dorky faces to make it appear.

Making Adam smile was as sweet as any victory was supposed to be. Watching him go from guarded and hesitant to open and happy had the potential to be dangerously addictive. It hadn't even been that long and in those moments, it felt like it was how it always should have been. And Kenny, like an idiot, had assumed Adam felt the same.

That had to be wrong, though.

No one who had the same tendril of quiet connectedness looping through them would be sleeping like a turtle trying to climb back into his shell. It wasn't normal; Adam didn’t sleep like that. So something had to be off but what was it? Their evening kept playing like a movie inside his head. There had been the weirdness with his cell phone and Kenny knew something had bothered Adam about it. But other than that, it had been their new, close normal. Adam had precariously balanced a bottle of beer on the arm of the sofa and he had given him shit about how many bottles he must have dropped to get it right. They had swapped random stories and groaned at each other's bad jokes. He'd fought off the temptation to run his fingers through those blonde curls about a dozen times. The new normal.

Going to bed hadn't been awkward or at least, it hadn't been to him. Standard stuff. None of that explained Adam's sleeping posture, though. Kenny hated this feeling. There was something wrong with Adam and he wanted to fix it. He needed to fix it. The idea had been bouncing around the back of his mind since Adam had come running into the stadium but now it was fully formed.

Maybe that was why he couldn't sleep.

Kenny wished he could say it didn't matter who Adam opened up to about whatever was bothering him but that would be a lie. It had to be him. It needed to be his shoulder that Adam leaned on. His hand that Adam held. And that was a good sort of different, too. It felt good and urgent and important. But Adam had tried opening up to him before - it was months ago now - and Kenny still felt awful about how he had botched his response. So focused on his own troubles, he'd dismissed Adam trying to talk to him. Lectured him about the alcohol without asking why. He had sworn that he wasn't looking down at Adam but then he'd told him what to do like a damn child. It was no wonder Adam had kept his worries all to himself.

He was an idiot, especially now.

Because now? Kenny couldn’t do anything but look at Adam.

It had already become a habit to search him out first thing. How something became a habit so quickly, he had no idea. Even if he was too busy to talk, Kenny could feel something in him settle at the sound of Adam’s voice. He was still here. And that was different too.

Apparently, absence didn't just make his heart grow fonder. It turned his inside out.

And that was pretty much personified by the fact that he was awake at 2 am, using the glow reflected by the badly placed street light to watch Balled Up Adam sleep. Kenny knew that that wasn’t quite accurate. He was doing that while wishing he was in Adam's bed with his arms around him, holding him tightly enough that maybe his own contentment could seep into Adam's bones. Maybe then he'd believe that he was right where he wanted to be.

This wasn't going to be solved on a sleepless night, no matter what thoughts popped into his mind. The gap between their beds wasn't going to be breached tonight. It was too far and too close, all at the same time. Only… Adam was right there, looking at him.

Looking. At. Him.

Shit.

Still curled up but now Kenny could see his face and the far-too-adorable sleepy confusion on it. There was probably no way to explain that he'd been doing that could sound uncreepy, was there? Not really a coherent way to say "I can't sleep so I was staring at you while I worried about you thinking things I'm not sure if you think." Definitely not at 2 am, at any rate.

"Just one of those nights. Go back to sleep."

That made sense and sounded normal. But there was a bit of a scowl that marred the sweet sleepiness on Adam's face so something wasn't quite right. Had that last bit come across as too much of an order? It hadn't been that bad. Had it? Maybe he was getting too tired to think straight. Adam was blinking rapidly, probably trying to clear some of the fog, but there was no point in both of them being exhausted the rest of the day. Kenny was the only idiot that should have to endure the consequences of his stupid insomnia. It wasn't Adam’s problem to deal with. As he tried to figure out a better way to tell him to not worry, the sound of rustling fabric refocused his attention on the man across from him.

To Adam's outstretched hand.

Fingers slightly curled around the lifted bedding, his arm raised in what seemed like open invitation. Did Adam mean what he thought he meant? Doubt started to burn in his throat but there was just enough light in the room for Kenny to see the little upturn of the corners of Adam's mouth. He knew that. He saw that every time he sat down next to Adam lately. And he looked forward to it. Every single time.

Suddenly - before he could overthink it - Kenny was stumbling out of his bed, only tripping a bit on the comforter he had accidentally entangled his foot in with all of his tossing and turning. The sheets were cold on the untouched side of Adam’s bed but it wasn't too bad. Squirming a little, he shifted so was lying on his side, once again facing Adam. Only so much closer now. Adam had moved some too, finally unfurling and stretching out. It wouldn't take much for their feet to touch. All of all, it was nice, except for the damn disbelief spelled out in every bit of Adam's expression.

Had he seriously expected Kenny to turn him down again? Expected him to stay over in his lonely bed? To stay away?

Frustration and anger weren't going to do him any good here and he was honestly too pleased with where he was to summon much of either anyway. There had to be some way to make Adam understand that he wanted to be near him. The 'holding him tight' plan was sounding better to Kenny with each passing heartbeat.

"Hey, cowboy."

It was probably entirely the wrong time to let slip a sort of endearment for the first time. But then again, when was the right time for that kind of thing? It had felt nice to say and Adam wasn't looking at him oddly so Kenny figured it hadn't gone over too badly. He still basically had "I can’t believe he accepted" stamped on his forehead, though.

"You didn't have to… you know. It was just an offer."

Just an offer. Damn, Adam. It mattered.

"But I did. I wanted to."

There. Plain-ish English. The idea that he might be right - that Adam didn't believe - bothered Kenny more and more. He needed to fix this, even if it was only a little bit at a time. This had to be a good start, though. The doubt was fading more and more from Adam's eyes the longer he laid there looking at him. Kenny supposed he had spent enough time tonight staring that he couldn't begrudge Adam some time to do the same. And there was something soothing and sleep-inducing about their shared warmth.

It figured that now he would get sleepy. That couldn't have happened hours ago? Why did it have to happen now - when he was finally this close to Adam and that soft, shy smile? But he could feel his eyes getting heavier and he was pretty sure that it was only a matter of time until a yawn escaped.

"You look tired to me, Kenny."

There was a fondness there in Adam's quiet words that he almost desperately hoped his mind wasn’t making up. That he wasn't hearing something only because he wanted to hear it. Adam reached out and for a moment, Kenny wondered if he wasn't the only who had been tempted by running his fingers through curls. It would be… nice… to not be alone in that. Instead, he felt the sheets and comforter moving around him until he was snugly tucked in. Their own little cocoon. Almost perfect. If only Adam hadn't tucked his head down again as soon as he finished. He hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't too far. None of this was too much for him. He nudged one of Adam's feet with one of his own; Kenny hoped that much contact wasn't too much for Adam. Spooking him was the last thing he wanted to do. There was no reason for him to go back to being a turtle. It only took that tiny jolt of worry to shake off his burgeoning sleepiness. No matter how warm and comfortable he was, Adam was more important.

That was something else that he probably needed to tell him.

But first things first, Adam needed to look at him again. Sooner rather than later. Nudging him with his foot hadn't worked so what else could he try? 

"I know you’re not sleeping."

He managed to avoid adding 'cowboy' to the end of that but it was close. Kenny had only used it that once but he already liked it. Like a lot. Adam didn’t budge, though. Now what? Springing the 'hold him tight' plan wasn’t probably the best idea. Kenny also kinda really wanted that to be a mutual plan, anyway. But what else was there if Adam wouldn’t look at him or speak to him?

Or maybe…

Adam’s head lifted upwards so they were once again looking at each other. That gentle smile was still there - muted but it hadn’t disappeared - and it was impossible for him to do anything but smile. Much better. So much better.

"You stayed."

Seriously, Adam? Did he really think that tucking him in was going to make him jump up and run away or something? It was the exact opposite. He needed to fix this. Really needed to fix it.

"Of course, I did." Adam’s eyebrows quirked in disbelief before the words were even finished and it took every bit of control Kenny had to keep the calm smile on his face. "Nowhere else I’d rather be."

He expected the doubt this time and braced himself for it. Adam had his reasons - they were legitimate and true - but it still hurt. Kenny supposed he had hoped that he could make things better through the sheer force of his own will. His own contentment with this bond that it felt like they were weaving. But maybe it was entirely one-sided. Maybe anyone could be the one that made Adam smile.

That thought sucked.

"You don’t have to lie to me."

That sucked more. Dropkick to the face levels of suck. Keeping a smile on his face was impossible now and Kenny felt his careful control on his emotions evaporate.

"Lie? Why do you think I’m lying?"

Adam’s head started to drop again and Kenny didn’t want to start that again. Reaching out, he cupped the side of Adam’s face hopeful that it would encourage him to keep looking at him. It seemed to work, even if the eyes gazing back at him were full of raw anguish. His thumb brushed across Adam’s cheek of its own accord but he kept up the slow and easy caress while he tried to move just a little bit closer to Adam as gracefully and subtly as he could. He apparently failed but the reappearance of the beginning of Adam’s smile eased any awkwardness he felt. So did the fact that his hand hadn’t been shoved away yet. He wasn’t rejected yet.

"I’m not lying, cowboy." Kenny was deliberate with the word this time and didn't make even the smallest attempt to disguise the affection in his voice. "How can I prove it to you?"

Please. There had to be a way. Anything. Whatever it was, he'd do it. A needful desperation had wrapped itself around his heart. This single moment was almost too important. Kenny knew he needed to get it right. There had been so many mistakes and misunderstandings between them but he was determined to not make this another one.

"You shouldn't… you don't need to… "

"Yes, I do." Slowly, Kenny leaned forward until their foreheads were ever-so-gently touching. He continued caressing Adam's cheek as his voice dropped to a whisper. "Yes, I do."

This close, it was almost impossible to keep his eyes open. Kenny was far too aware of how comfortably intimate being like this felt. However, he was equally aware of how Adam hadn't moved. Hadn't pushed him away. Hadn't told him that this closeness was unwanted. Could Adam feel it too?

"I don't… " Adam's voice was so quiet that Kenny felt the words more than he heard them. "Don't need proof."

Kenny half-growled at that and his eyes squeezed shut in frustration. He'd seen too much disbelief and doubt to accept that so easily. The last thing he wanted was an argument but he had to find a way to make Adam understand just how truthful he was being. He needed to know why he couldn't seem to accept that this was exactly where Kenny wanted to be. Exactly, right down to their touching foreheads and his thumb stroking Adam's cheek. Unexpectedly, that sensation was echoed on his own face and it took Kenny a second to understand what was happening.

What Adam was doing.

Those were his fingertips and then that was his hand resting against Kenny's cheek as he started an equally gentle repeated brush of his thumb. Kenny reopened his eyes as he finally released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. They were too close for him to read any emotion in Adam's eyes but he could feel that smile under his hand. Maybe Adam just might believe him a little bit. He could work with that, especially if they stayed just like this.

"I don't need proof." Kenny still had his doubts about that. There had to be _something_. "I just need you."

Oh.

That was…

Oh, damn.

Adam's voice was shaky and soft and raw. But the words… hearing so clearly that he was needed. Wanted. That maybe - just maybe - he wasn't alone in these feelings.

"Cowboy…"

There was no point in pretending it was anything other than an endearment any more. Kenny hoped Adam didn't mind. It just felt right. All of this just felt right. There was truly nowhere he would rather be.

"How can I prove it to you?"

Kenny's heart melted yet further as Adam turned his question back around at him. Did he really worry about the same things? Had Adam been lying there hoping he wasn't alone too? There was something completely charming about that. He wanted to answer that Adam didn't need to do anything - it was on the tip of his tongue - but images rushed forward and refused to be ignored. Old memories of betrayal and newer ones of Adam walking away. Over and over. In frustration, in victory, in apathy, in defeat. How many times had he seen that? It was painful then but now? After a night like this?

"Just stay." It was his turn for his voice to shake. "Don't leave me."

Hopefully that wasn't too much. It was the truth, though. He needed Adam to stay. The gentle caress of his face stopped and Kenny felt his muscles tense. It was a long moment of terrible outcomes floating in his head before Adam answered.

"I'll try."

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear but it was something. Undoubtedly, Adam could feel his smile underneath his hand but Kenny suddenly had this restless sort of joy building up inside of him and it needed an outlet. It needed to be shared. The slightest adjustment and Kenny's lips easily found Adam's, even in the dim light. A quick peck was all intended but now - this much closer - he couldn't quite pull away. He hovered for a moment, enjoying the echo of the brief touch.

"Was that okay… "

There was no way Kenny was ever going to remember how he was going to finish that sentence because Adam took advantage of the short pause to bridge the tiny gap between them and press their lips together for the second time.

And this was no quick peck.

This was a kiss that lingered. It was gentle tenderness and soft affection. Slow and fond. And with each heartbeat, Kenny became that much more certain that he wasn't alone. That the connectedness he felt was shared. That it wasn't just that he could make Adam smile but that Adam smiled for him.

Even as the kiss ended, it seemed neither of them wanted to move that far apart. They were both obviously hovering this time and Kenny wondered which one of them would succumb to the temptation of a third kiss first. It was probably going to be him. Kissing Adam had already been added to his new favorite things list.

"This is probably gonna sound stupid but…" Kenny doubted that but Adam's voice was hesitant and more tentative than his heart would like. "... could I hold you?"

That… that was the exact opposite of stupid.

As soon as his mind understood the words, his heart needed it like his lungs needed oxygen. His hand finally moved and for as close as they were, Kenny just kinda squirmed forward and pressed his body against Adam's. Any awkwardness was forgotten with the way Adam immediately wrapped an arm around him to pull him just a little bit closer. Being able to feel his amused chuckle was a bonus. They had physically been this close before but Kenny knew he had never really appreciated all of the little details like he was now. The weight of Adam's hand on his back and the tickle of his breath against his skin. This was real.

They were real.

Kenny wanted to fall asleep just like this. With their bodies touching from head-to-toe. He knew that they would separate as they slept but he yearned to carry this feeling with him into dreamland. But Adam apparently had other ideas because he felt extra pressure against his back as he was tugged forward. Disorientation was quickly replaced by wonder as he realized what had happened. Adam had rolled onto his back so Kenny was tucked against his side. His head was resting above Adam's heart - the beat erratic in his ear. Two arms held him close and tight and for a long moment, he couldn't remember if he was awake or if he was dreaming.

He was being held.

Kenny had thought about laying with Adam more than once but it was always the other way around. Adam snug against his side. But this was… it was everything. How long had it been? It was a simple gesture but Kenny felt so cared for. Adam's affection was there in each successively calmer heartbeat under his ear. And that made perfect sense too. This embrace settled his anxious heart. Perhaps Adam believed him after all? And even if at this moment he wasn't sure, Kenny had a chance to convince him. That was something he had no intention of wasting.

"This okay? You comfortable?"

Shy and worried Adam was actually more than a little adorable. Hopefully, someday, he'd believe completely that Kenny wanted to be right here at his side. Until then, though? He was determined to remind Adam whenever he needed it.

"Definitely, cowboy." Tracing absent-minded patterns on Adam's chest, Kenny knew there was more he wanted to say. Adam deserved to know that none of this was a random whim. "I've been thinking about this sort of thing a lot lately."

"Me too."

Two simple words, barely louder than a whisper, but they meant so much. Awash with too many emotions - wrapped up in joy and relief and excitement - Kenny kissed the closest bit of Adam's bare chest and did his best to snuggle even an inch closer. An answering kiss was pressed tenderly into his hair and Kenny had no desire to move ever again.

"Cowboy, huh?"

There was that note of fondness again in Adam's voice and Kenny hadn't been hearing the wrong things earlier. He wasn't making it up - it was real. Cowboy, though. He wasn't embarrassed by his affection but if the endearment made Adam uncomfortable, he would find a way to curb his tongue. Somehow.

"Yeah. Only if you don't mind. Or if you even like it. It just sorta happened and slipped out. There are other words I can use if you like those better. Or none at all. I just… yeah."

Another lingering kiss into his hair was only semi-calming. It was just that he didn't want to mess this up. Kenny wanted more of this. More kisses, more embracing, more being together just like this. He wanted more.

"I like it when it's you saying it." He needed to fix what was bothering Adam but it seemed Adam was determined to mend wounds Kenny had ignored. And ones he hadn't even known existed. "Guess I'll have to find one for you."

"Only if you want… not obligated to… "

That was the last thing Kenny wanted. They were partners and equals. They were something more. He really didn't want Adam to feel forced to do anything. Was this another of his past mistakes coming back to haunt him?

"Of course I want to. Stop worrying."

How did Adam know that? Once again, Kenny felt cared for. They had been friends for years and knew each other well but the longer they laid here, the more Kenny felt seen. For all of his looking at Adam, maybe Adam had been looking right back at him. There were conversations they should have but tonight - here at 2 am - the only thing Kenny wanted to talk about was saying goodnight and sweet dreams.

"We should do breakfast in bed."

And that. He'd been awake long enough to be hungry again. Breakfast sounded great. But Adam's amused laughter sounded even better. Kenny hoped making Adam laugh and smile never got old. He didn't know how it possibly could.

"Probably better make that brunch. Don't think we'll be up early enough for breakfast hours."

"As long as it's a meal for two, cowboy, I'm not picky."

"Me neither." Fingertips caressed his shoulder as Adam rested his head against his. "Try and get some sleep."

Almost like Adam's words were a magic spell, Kenny's eyes grew heavy and he slowly let them slip shut. Adam's breathing evened out shortly after and Kenny liked that he wasn't the only one being sent off to sleep by the warmth and contentment of their little private world. And Adam would be there when he woke up.

He knew it.

He believed it.

That was the sweetest thing.

-fin-


End file.
